If you exude a quality or feeling, people notice easily that you have a large quantity of it because it flows from you; if a smell or liquid exudes from something it means that it flows steadily and slowly from it.

An action that is flagrant shows that someone does not care if he or she obviously breaks the rules or highly offends people.

If someone behaves in a furtive way he does things sneakily and secretly in order to avoid being noticed.

Something that is inconspicuous does not attract attention and is not easily seen or noticed because it is small or ordinary.

People who are ingenuous are trusting and believe everything that people tell them, especially because they have not had much life experience.

Something that is insidious is dangerous because it seems harmless or not important but gradually develops over time to cause harm and damage.

Something that is latent exists but is not active or has not developed at the moment, but may develop or become active in the future.

If you describe something as nebulous you mean that it is unclear, vague, and not clearly defined; a shape that is nebulous has no clear boundaries.

If you say something is opaque it means that it is either difficult to understand or is not transparent.

An overt act is not hidden or secret, but is done in an open and public way.

If a mood or feeling is palpable, it is so strong and intense that it is easily noticed and is almost able to be physically felt.

A patent situation is one that is wide open and unconcealed; it is both evident and obvious.

Probity is very moral and honest behavior.

Something or someone that is prominent stands out or is noticeable in some way.

Propriety is behaving in a socially acceptable and appropriate way.

If you sidle you walk slowly and cautiously in a particular direction, often sideways, and usually because you do not want to be noticed.

If you employ subterfuge you use a secret plan or action to get what you want while carefully hiding your true intentions.

Something that is tangible is able to be touched and thus is considered real.

If someone or something is unobtrusive it means that it is not easily noticed and does not stand out in any way.

Wiles are clever tricks or cunning schemes that are used to persuade someone to do what you want.

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Adj.

surreptitious

sur-uhp-TISH-uhs

Context

Nora wanted a midnight snack, so she surreptitiously or quietly crept downstairs to the kitchen, trying not to wake anyone. She did not ask her brother to join her, but instead moved surreptitiously or silently through the dark hallways of the house. Nora’s careful plan to raid the cookie jar was executed with surreptitious care or sneaky cleverness; unfortunately, she did not remember Max the dog who barked until he too quickly received a snack.

Memory Hook

Syrup Suspicious My sneaky surreptitious children are no longer allowed to pour their own delicioussyrup, for they surreptitiously dump on ounce upon ounce when I turn my back, making me highly suspicious.

Examples

For several days after my first book was published, I carried it about in my pocket and took surreptitious peeps at it to make sure the ink had not faded.
— James M. Barrie

Germany’s Supreme Court ruled last year that evidence gained from surreptitious searches of a suspect’s computers were inadmissible in the absence of surveillance laws regulating police hacking activity.
—Wired

Several services even use the surreptitious data storage to reinstate traditional cookies that a user deleted, which is called're — spawning' in homage to video games where zombies come back to life even after being 'killed,' the report found.
—CNN

The hunt for a house began about three years ago, when Mrs. Reagan’s friends Betsy Bloomingdale and Marion Jorgensen began a surreptitious search in the area.
—TIME

Word Ingredients

When someone has been surreptitious about doing something, he has “snatched, grabbed, or seized” it “under” someone else’s notice or awareness on purpose.

Word Theater

Through the Wormhole The pink sticky note is placed on the child's head surreptitiously.

The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!